NFL player comparisons for Pittsburgh Steelers WR Calvin Austin III

Low-end NFL comparison: Isaiah Mckenzie

Isaiah McKenzie is by no means a bad player. In fact, he’s pretty efficient with his targets and has graded out well in each of the past four seasons. However, finding a regular role for him on offense is tricky due to his severe lack of size. As a result, he has never played more than 47 percent of offensive snaps in a season, according to Pro Football Reference.

McKenzie was a very good athlete coming out of Georgia in 2017, but his frame was a concern from the start. At just over 5’7” and 173 pounds, teams were right to worry about what role he would play in the NFL.

Like Austin in college, McKenzie offers value as a return man and can be dangerous with a little bit of space, but his lack of size restricts him to being a slot-only receiver — working the underneath on offense.

If these same size limitations are as much of an issue for Calvin Austin, he could have a similar career path as a solid football player who just isn’t big enough to carve out a full-time role. I view McKenzie as the absolute floor for Austin in the NFL.